Chicken, Bacon, and Rice Soup

Hello all! My best friend Lauren from thelittlethingswedo blog just gave birth to a beautiful little girl. Since as a new mom I'm sure the last thing she wants to do is cook, I cooked up a bunch of freezer ready meals that she can heat and enjoy. I made them a barbecue chicken cornbread casserole, some individual pot pies, and this soup. I grabbed the recipe off of Lauren's pinterest so I knew it was something she would enjoy. Believe it or not, this was my first time making a roux, and it seemed pretty lumpy to me, but once mixed in with the soup base, the lumps disappeared. Feel free to add more veggies, I know I will next time I make it. The recipe is highly customizable, you could sub in brown rice (that's what I did) or noodles or some other starch. The soup is so hearty and nourishing that all you really need to accompany it is a fresh green salad. Hope you enjoy, and if you get a chance, hop on over to Lauren's blog and congratulate her!

Chicken Bacon Rice Soup

Author: Pinch of Yum, from Cambridge Medical Center cookbook

3 (10 3/4 oz) cans condensed chicken broth

2 cups water

1/2 cup uncooked wild rice (or brown), rinsed

1/2 cup finely chopped green onions - I only had scallions, they seem similar to me!

1/2 cup margarine or butter

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 cups half and half

1 1/2 cup cubed or shredded cooked chicken or turkey

8 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled

1 tablespoon chopped pimiento

In a large saucepan, combine chicken broth and water.

Add rice and onions. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 30-45 minutes (or until rice is tender). Once the rice is cooked, there will be some additional broth - do not drain. In a medium saucepan, melt margarine, stir in flour, salt, seasoning, and pepper.

Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly (mine never got all the way smooth, guess it takes practice). Gradually stir in half and half with the butter/flour mixture and cook until slightly thickened, stirring constantly.

Add this creamy mixture back into the saucepan with the rice/broth. Add remaining ingredients (chicken, bacon, and pimiento).

Heat on low, stirring every once in a while, for at least a half an hour. I cooked mine about an hour and a half. Do not boil. The longer you cook it, the more it will thicken.

This soup is best served after gently heating for an extended period of time (even a few hours) or the next day.

Have a happy week!

Irish Potato Farl

Oh. my. gosh.First of all, Happy St. Patricks day! I wanted to try a traditional Irish Recipe for my St. Pattys day breakfast this year, little did I know it would be the easiest recipe I have ever attempted, .and seriously one of the best things I have ever tried. Behold, Irish Potato Bread Farl. Apparently it's a breakfast staple in Northern Ireland a part of something called an Ulster Fry. An Ulster Fry, according to Wikipedia, is a full Irish breakfast, usually fried (go figure), consisting of bacon, eggs, sausage, soda bread, and potato farl. Now, I have never been to Ireland, but apparently they eat quite well! The Potato Farl is delightfully crisp on the outside and smooth and creamy on the inside. It reminded me a bit of a less oily hashbrown, but a million times better. I messed with the recipe proportions because I only had three little potatoes left over, which yielded 1 1/3 cups mashed potatoes. The recipe source I used said that the amount of flour can vary, just add bit by bit until a soft dough forms. A good rule of thumb is use half as much flour as potato. So, for example, I had 1 1/3 cups mashed potatoes, so I used a scant 2/3 cup flour. The finished product is supposed to be savory and is often served with onions and mushrooms. But I like my breakfast on the sweet side so I topped it with butter and syrup.

It was delightful, and, dare I say it, I liked it better than pancakes! And that is something because I LOVE pancakes! Next time you have mashed potatoes, definitely set a few aside for a hearty potato farl, and Happy St. Patricks day!

Irish Potato Farl

from foodista.com

Ingredients

2 cups hot boiled potatoes

Scant 1 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter + more for griddle

While hot, mash potatoes well with salt and butter. Gradually work in flour in smaller increments until a soft dough forms. Dough should be a little tacky but workable.

Divide and roll/press into a circular shape about 9″ and 1/4″ thick.

Cut into 6 or 8 ‘farls’ (wedges). Grill in a hot, greased griddle or pan until well browned on both sides.

So. So. Good.

Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Linking up at Prairie Story Recipe Swap, Full Plate Thursday with Ms. Helen, Designs By Gollum, Family Friendly Friday's, I'm Lovin It, Everything But the Kichen Sink, and It's A Keeper Thursdays.

Baked Ravioli

I happen to LOVE Real Simple magazine, if I could only have (heaven forbid) one magazine subscription, Real Simple is the one I would have! It has fashion, organizing, life, recipes, everything I need in a magazine. This is a recipe from the Real Simple website, and it's a good one! Super easy (or should I say simple?) and tasty too. I halved it and baked it in two individual sized ramekins. The original recipe has chicken sausage in the ingredients, which I didn't have so I made my version even simpler. Three ingredients: mozzarella cheese, marinara sauce (buy a good kind, or make your own, you don't wanna go with the cheap watery kind here), and ravioli. Mix it all together, bake it for 20 minutes and there ya go. Dinner is served!

Baked Ravioli

adapted from Real Simple

Makes 4 servings

2 cups marinara sauce

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

16-18 ounces fresh or frozen ravioli

Cook ravioli according to package directions, drain and return to pot.

Toss with marinara sauce and about 1/2 - 3/4 cups of cheese. Transfer to a shallow, 2 quart baking dish, or divide among individual ramekins.

Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until bubbling and beginning to brown.

Real. Simple.

Linking to Foodie Fridays, Friday Potluck , Paisley Passions, Friday Favorites, Tater Tots and Jello, Sunday Showcase, and Tidy Mom

Stromboli Sandwiches

Usually I'm not a big fan of Rachel Ray, many of her recipes have long lists of ingredients which I usually don't have. I also find her use of the phrases "Yum-O" and "EVOO" and cutesy recipe names (ahem... sammies...) a bit annoying. My sister, however, is a big fan. And, I must admit, this recipe was awesome. I had everything I needed on hand, it came together in 25 minutes (including the 15 minutes baking time), and it impressed my guests. So in this case, way to go Rachel Ray!

Stromboli Sandwiches

Adapted from Everyday with Rachel Ray

One 16-ounce loaf semolina bread

Spinach or other mixed greens (I used a 50/50 mix)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound chicken sausage or tofu crumbles

3 cloves garlic, chopped

Pepper

Freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

2 cups shredded provolone cheese

1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (3 generous handfuls)

8 thin slices mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 375°.

Cut off the top quarter of the bread lengthwise and scoop out the bottom piece.

In a medium skillet, heat oil t over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, crumbling with a spoon, until browned. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, if using.

Sprinkle bread shell with provolone cheese, add a layer of greens, then sausage mixture.

Finally, top with the parmigiano, mozzarella and bread lid.

Wrap the sandwich in foil and bake until the cheese is melted, 15 minutes.

Cut into thick slices to serve.

One more thing, I would love to know what kind of recipes you all want to see. If you could take a sec and vote in the poll in my side bar, I would be supremely grateful!

Thanks, can't wait to hear what you all think!

Happy Eating!

I'll be linking up to Mouthwatering Monday and Your Recipe, My Kitchen, Tasty Tuesday, It's a Keeper, and Rook #17

Feta Rosemary Beer Bread

I baked up a loaf of this beer bread to go with a dinner of tomato basil bisque the oth

er night. It actually stole the show! I borrowed the recipe the wonderful Farmgirl Fare blog, a blog full of beautiful farm pictures and hearty recipes. Susan, the author, describes herself as

"a 42-year-old former cultured California chick happily turned manure mucking Missouri farm girl."

You should definitely check her blog out, you can find more of her beer bread ideas here. The bread I made is "Beyond Easy Beer Bread." And it really is ridiculously easy, not only that, but it baked up crusty and flavorful with a moist crumb studded with melty chunks of feta and flavorful bursts of rosemary. Oh, and the hearty beer flavor, fantastic! Perfect for dipping in a bowl of your favorite soup. Enjoy!

Easy Beer Bread

from Farmgirl Flare

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon baking powder (make sure it's fresh!)

12 ounces beer

1 tablespoon dried rosemary or 2 tablespoons fresh (chopped)

3/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Heat oven to 375°.

Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, rosemary, and feta in a large mixing bowl.

Slowly stir in beer and mix just until combined.

Batter will be thick. Spread in a greased 8 inch loaf pan, and bake until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool 10 more minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature. With beer ☺

Linking up at tatertots and jello!

Cheddar Veggie Pot Pie in a Jar

My little sister was the first one to introduce me to the pie in a jar concept. She made me a batch of pot pies. She didn't cook them but gave them to me frozen in their little jars (so cute!). The instructions were just pop in the oven at 325 and a little over a half hour later, steaming hot, single serving pot pie. It is so comforting to come home after a long day at work and know that I can have a delicious home cooked pot pie in a flash. No work involved (well I do have to move it from the freezer to the oven, but that I can handle!) This weekend I made a batch of these yummy little treats to freeze (and a few to eat right away). I am anticipating a busy week at work, and having these on hand will be a life saver! I didn't have my sisters original recipe, so I used a cheddar chicken pot pie recipe from taste of home's website (I changed it a bit and made it vegetarian). For the pie in a jar part, I used tips from Our Best Bites. The cheese in the filling makes it extra creamy, and you could really use any variety of veggies you like. I did forget to season with salt and pepper so my filling was a bit more bland than I would have liked, but if you follow the directions, something I apparently can't do, your filling will be more flavorful. I was very happy with the crust, it turned out flakey and crisp. Just the way a good pot pie crust should be. Great comfort food!

Cheddar Veggie Pot Pie in a Jar

Adapted from Taste of Home's Cheddar Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

Pie Crust (I used this recipe) for double crust pie.

FILLING:

1-1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1.5 cups peeled cubed potatoes

1/2 cup sliced carrots

1/2 cup sliced celery

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup peas

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1-1/2 cups milk (I used rice milk)

3/4 shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

For filling, Place broth in a pot; bring to a boil.

Add vegetables. Reduce heat; simmer 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stirring occasionaly. While this is simmering, start prepping the jars.

Cut circles out of dough using the jar ring. Set aside.

Using the rest of the dough, line jars. You can just take pieces and press them into the jar until it reaches the top. Set jars aside.

In a small bowl, combine flour and milk; stir into broth mixture. Cook and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened and bubbly.

Stir in cheese, salt and pepper. Heat until cheese melts.

Spoon filling into jars, filling 3/4 full. Top with crust circles.

Make several slits in center of crust for steam to escape, I used my nifty pie crust cutters. At this point you need to decide if you want to bake and eat right away or freeze for later. To freeze, just let cool, put the lid on, and stick in the freezer. When ready to bake (or if you choose not to freeze), bake at 325° for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool and dig in!

It is cute, no?

Pie in a jar tips click here

Side note! If you are worried about the glass baking if you are baking them after freezing, put them in a cold oven and let them sit in there while it preheats, that way there is no chance of the glass breaking due to temperature change.

Another good tip from the Baking Bites web site: Line your baking tray with a slip pat so the jars don't slide around as you are trying to remove them from the oven.